“The climate platform released today by the federal New Democratic Party proposes a range of ambitious climate policies that is on par with the scale of the challenge in front of us,” said Clean Prosperity Executive Director Michael Bernstein.
“The NDP is committing to a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 — a tall order, considering that target is a little over eight years away — while reaffirming their earlier pledge to transition the Canadian economy to net-zero by 2050.”
“NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is rightly pledging to continue the federal carbon tax and rebate system that is the centerpiece of Canada’s current climate plan. He has also pledged to develop multi-year sector-specific carbon budgets and an independent climate accountability office, two key ingredients in an effective net-zero transition.”
“I’m further encouraged to see an ambitious building retrofit program, commitments to net carbon-free electricity, and strong language on methane regulations. The plan rightly proposes border carbon adjustments to keep Canadian businesses competitive during the transition to a low-carbon economy.”
“The climate platform released today by the federal New Democratic Party proposes a range of ambitious climate policies that is on par with the scale of the challenge in front of us,” said Clean Prosperity Executive Director Michael Bernstein.
“Still, there are some areas where the plan lacks details or misses important climate policies. First, the NDP climate plan does not include independent modelling, so it is difficult to properly assess whether the proposed policies will meet the targets that Mr. Singh proposes.”
“Second, many policies are referred to only in general terms, making it hard to understand precisely what is intended; plus, unlike the NDP’s 2019 platform, the platform document released today contains no overall spending commitment for climate.”
“Finally, the document is noticeably silent on carbon capture, including carbon dioxide removal technologies, despite the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which clearly states that we will need a massive scale-up of negative emissions technologies if we are to avoid crossing climate red lines.”
“Overall, the new NDP climate plan should be welcomed for its ambition. I hope the NDP will offer additional details, and release independent modelling that assesses the impacts of the plan in the days ahead.”
Clean Prosperity is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit that advocates for effective climate policy. We do not support or oppose any political party.
For more information: media@cleanprosperity.ca
